Allan McGregor, back with a bang

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Allan McGregor, back with a bang

It was 2317 days since his last visit to Parkhead, but make no mistake, it was the same old Allan McGregor. A Goalkeeper who thrives for the big occasion with a catalogue of fantastic saves and an incident to keep the radio phone ins busy for the week.

On a day in which he was tipped to be the busiest of the two goalkeepers, McGregor certainly didn’t disappoint when it came to keeping the ball out of the net, thwarting Celtic on 7 occasions, as they looked to capitalise on a dominant display in the east end of Glasgow.

It was Steven’s Gerrard first defeat as Rangers manager, after an impressive 12 game unbeaten streak which seen the club reach the Europa League group stages, with McGregor being instrumental in that run.

But, many will argue that McGregor shouldn’t have been on the park after an off the ball incident with Celtic defender, Cristopher Ajer, in the 24th minute, with Steven Gerrard accepting in his post match interview that the shot stopper was lucky to stay on the park.

Aggression is a part of McGregor’s game that makes him the Goalkeeper that he is. Assertive in his decision making, strong when challenging for the ball in a body filled area. If you take that aspect away from McGregor’s game, you don’t have the same Goalkeeper that has earned him 38 international appearances. A goalkeeper that is certainly an asset to his club and the national side alike.

However, controlling that aggression seems to be an issue from time to time. But, will anyone within Rangers be looking to change the goalkeepers approach to the game? Definitely not.

Red card or not, let’s not get distracted from the fact that it was an outstanding goalkeeping display. From the moment McGregor got off the team bus, the Scotland international was ready to shut up shop. In the 28th minute he moved across his goal quickly to safely parry an Olivier Ntcham free kick around the post, a sign of things to come.

His efficient movement was on show again in the 39th minute, as he denied Odsonne Edouard. Some will say the French forward should have scored and they’re right. But, I prefer to focus on the positive actions of a player and the plaudits certainly go to McGregor in this phase of play.

For me. his starting position is slightly too high as McGregor look’s to cross it into the box. But, he has certainly made up for it with his excellent footwork across the six yard box, putting him in an excellent position to apply pressure to the Celtic striker, which was a main factor in why the forward failed to score. If the footwork was slow, he doesn’t get into that position at the point of contact from the header and Edouard has an easier target to hit. The small details can have a big influence on the outcome.

And, the Rangers goalkeeper didn’t let the half time break effect his impact on the game either, as at the beginning of the second half the Rangers man produced a save of the season contender, when he directed Olivier Ntcham’s low drive onto the cross bar. Celtic’s French midfielder carried the ball from the left channel into the central area, before releasing a powerful drive at Mcgregor’s goal, but McGregor got down low to his right and produced a phenomenal stop. There are a few aspects that make this save so special, the reaction time was limited slightly due to a poor line of vision at the trigger moment, with five players in and around the ball. The bounce of the ball just before it get’s to McGregor is a goalkeepers worst nightmare, but the Rangers man anticipated this and reacted superbly. What no one has picked up on yet, is McGregor’s hand movement at the point he parries the ball. If you watch it again closely, you will see that he actually drives his arm upwards to help deflect the ball up and away from goal. For me, without this movement it’s a certain goal. It was an outstanding piece of goalkeeping.

Unfortunately for McGregor and his side, the clean sheet just wasn’t meant to be, as Celtic were rewarded with a goal that their play warranted. With Rangers claiming for a foul on Ryan Jack, Celtic’s Tom Rogic broke up the field, before the ball ended up at James Forrest, who squared it perfectly for the impressive Ntcham to stroke home unmarked.

Mcgregor’s International counterpart, Craig Gordon, who had a relatively quiet afternoon, was called into action in the 67th minute, when Rangers forward, Alfredo Morelos, outmuscled Boyata before directing a powerful drive at the Celtic goal. But, Gordon took up a great position, perfectly weighted in his set-position, allowing him to stand up and react to the strike, parrying it out for a corner at his near post.

So, what does this all mean for Scotland’s clash with Belgium at Hampden this Friday? Well, the silver lining for McGregor after this disappointing result, is that it may have secured him the role as Alex mcLeish’s trusted national shot stopper. It’s been well documented, within my previous post, that the battle between these two fine goalkeepers was going to be one for watching this season.

The position was certainly up for grabs and in my opinion, it will be for years to come as these two battle it out on a weekly basis, which I’m relishing watching. But, if you’re asking me who my money is on for the starting berth come 7.45pm this Friday, put me down for Allan McGregor.

Article written by, David Scott.

September 3rd 2018 21:52

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